高三英语二轮复习专题突破精品训练阅读理解31.doc

2014届高三英语二轮复习专题突破精品训练：阅读理解a the discovery of an ancient giant panda skull has confirmed its bamboo diet dates back more than 2 million years and may have played a key part in its survival.a chinese-us research team reports its results today following studies on a fossil skull found in south chinas cuangxi zhuang autonomous region in 2001.the six fossils unearthed in jinyin cave are dated between 2.4 and 2 million years ago, according to the report in proceedings of the national academy of sciences, an influential us journal.jin changzhu, of the chinese academy of sciences (cas) and lead author of the paper, said the smaller fossil skull indicates the giant pandas were about a third smaller than todays pandas.researchers knew the panda reached its maximum size about 500,000 years ago, when it peaked ,and then gradually became smaller.jin, a paleontologist (古生物学者) at the institute of vertebrate paleontology and paleoanthropology (古人类学) attached to the cas, said the size variation was a basic rule of evolution.“a species tends to grow bigger when it reaches the peak of its population , but becomes smaller when numbers decline,” he said. the dental remains of the skull, which is the oldest giant panda skull ever found, are similar to todays pandas, indicating the type of teeth that could munch (津津有味地嚼)mountains of bamboo. a panda can eat up to 40kg of bamboo per day.paleoanthropologist russell ciochon, the us co-author at the university of lowa, said the pandas focus on bamboo could have helped it survive all these years.“once an animal begins to rely on a common and stable food source, such as bamboo, it tends to evolve a larger body size,” he said. “as individuals of the evolving species grow bigger, they have a better chance not to be eaten by predators (肉食动物) due to their larger body size.”1. according to the research of the cas , there were most pandas in the world . a. 2 million years ago b. between 2.4 and 2 million years agoc. 500,000 years ago d. nowadays答案解析：答案为c。本题为细节题。第四段提到了cas，接下来一段提到 “researchers knew the panda reached its maximum size about 500,000 years ago, when it peaked .”可知熊猫的体型最大的时候也是数量达到顶峰的时候是在500,000 年以前。故答案为c。2. the underlined word “variation” in para 6 means . a. fall b. change c. increase d. decrease答案解析：答案为b。本题为词义推断题。结合划线部分所在的上下文，第五段和第七段提到了“maximum size”、“became smaller”与“grow bigger”，可以推断“size variation”就是体型变化，故答案为b。3. from the passage, we can learn . a. pandas began to eat bamboo 2 million years ago b. a species tends to grow smaller when numbers decline c. the giant pandas were about a third the size of todays pandas d. pandas bamboo has played an important role in its development答案解析：答案为b。本题为细节题。由第七段 “a species tends to grow bigger when it reaches the peak of its population , but becomes smaller when numbers decline,” 可知，b选项正确。由第一段 “.its bamboo diet dates back more than 2 million years .” 可知，a选项与文章细节不符；由第四段 “the giant pandas were about a third smaller than todays pandas.”可知，当时的大熊猫比现在的小三分之一，言外之意就是当时的大熊猫的体型是今天大熊猫的体型的三分之二，正确表达应该是“the giant pandas were about two thirds the size of todays pandas”，故c选项错误。结合第一段 “.its bamboo diet dates back more than 2 million years and may have played a key part in its survival.” 和倒数第二段 “. the pandas focus on bamboo could have helped it survive all these years.” 两句话中的“may” 和 “could”， 对竹子的作用都是一种推测，不是完全确定的结论，故d选项与文章不符。4.the passage mainly tells us that . a. pandas are endangered b. pandas had a long history c. pandas had bamboo to beat predators d. todays pandas are similar to the oldest ones 答案解析：答案为c。本题为推理题。由文章最后一段的总结 “once an animal begins to rely on a common and stable food source, such as bamboo, it tends to evolve a larger body size,” he said. “as individuals of the evolving species grow bigger, they have a better chance not to be eaten by predators (肉食动物) due to their larger body size.” 可知，每一种动物一旦有了普遍而稳定的食物源，体型就会增大，这种庞大的体型可以帮它们战胜肉食动物，这种规律同样适用于大熊猫。故答案为c。more than 17 ,000 flights to and from european airspace were cancelled, including all flights from britain s major airports. the met office reported that volcanic ash had begun to fall across britain, coating surfaces with a fine layer of dust and raising fears for people with breathing difficulties. meanwhile experts warned of shortages of some foods with produce destined for british shops in airport warehouses in other parts of the world. geologists reported that activity at the volcano increased yesterday, spewing a plume of ash 5.3 miles high into the atmosphere. the icelandic meteorological office said the winds blowing the volcanic ash south east to europe and up into scandinavia and russia will continue in the same direction for at least two days and could go on until wednesday. but scientists fear there could be more eruptions from the 5，466-foot volcano, mount eyjafjallajkull. a university geophysicist said：“from what we ve seen, it could erupt，pause for a few weeks，and then possibly erupt again. it could go on for months. ” as the no fly zone expanded yesterday, so did the chaos. the icelandic volcano causing travel chaos across europe could go on erupting for months, geologists have warned.the national air traffic control service ( nats) extended restrictions on flights from british airports to 7p. m. on sunday, with the expectation of further extensions. ferry operators have reported record bookings. p&o took 6,000 foot passengers across the channel on friday compared to the 100 to 200 it would expect on a normal friday in april. eurostar trains were fully booked until tomorrow, with 50,000 more passengers than normal since the airline disruption (中断）began on thursday，including comedian john cleese who arrived back in london last night after a most difficult overland journey from switzerland. the operator is charging passengers a minimum 223 for a single ticket from paris to london over the next two days prompting criticisms of profiteering. a return ticket can normally be bought for as little as 69. eurostar denied it was cashing in. some 4,000 british tourists have been stranded in south africa. the british embassy in athens said there were currently “many thousand” british holidaymakers trying to leave greece after the holidays, in many cases anxious to get back in time for the start of the school term this week，with some of those desperate to return resorting to renting cars or embarking on long trains journeys. 1. where is the volcano, mount eyjafjallajkull located?a. england.b. ireland.c. iceland.d. switzerland.答案解析：答案为c。本题为细节题。由第六段 “the icelandic volcano ”可知， 答案为c。2. the worst affected problem for most of the europeans during the eruption was_.a. breathing difficultiesb. shortages of foodc. the airline disruptiond. a fine layer of dust答案解析：答案为a。本题为细节推理题。由第一、二段可知，火山喷发导致了欧洲航班取消、火山灰从天空落下、地上铺满了火山灰等问题，然而最严重的问题是第二段提到的 “and raising fears for people with breathing difficulties.” 呼吸困难引起了人们的恐惧，这威胁到人们的生命安全，故答案为a。3. what does the underlined word chaos mean in para 6?a. danger.b. anxiety.c. desperation.d. disorder.答案解析：答案为d。本题为词义猜测题。结合划线词语的下文 “the icelandic volcano causing travel chaos across europe could go on erupting for months .”可以推断，欧洲的火山可能会喷发几个月，它导致了旅行混乱（disorder.），故答案为d。a选项 “danger”意为“危险”，b选项 “anxiety”意为 “焦虑”， c选项“desperation”意为“绝望”，均不符合文意，故不选。4. from the passage, we know that the volcano eruption_.a. forced all the people to go back homeb. brought the train company a large profitc. made 6,000 passengers take ships to cross the channeld. prevented british students from going to school on time答案解析：答案为b。本题为推理题。由第九段 “eurostar trains were fully booked until tomorrow, with 50,000 more passengers than normal since the airline disruption began on thursday”可知，自从航空线中断后，eurostar火车票订购爆满，比通常多50,000名乘客，因此可以推断，火山喷发给火车公司带来了大量利润，故答案为b。 a选项表达有误。由第八段 “ferry operators have reported record bookings. p&o took 6,000 foot passengers across the channel on friday ”可知，在周五有6,000 旅客乘坐渡船过海峡，可以推断，其他时间也有旅客乘坐渡船，故c选项的人数表达有误。由最后一段 “the british embassy in athens said there were currently “many thousand” british holidaymakers trying to leave greece after the holidays, in many cases anxious to get back in time for the start of the school term this week”可知，外面度假的英国人努力离开希腊，其中很多人是为了及时赶上本周开学的时间，故d选项“阻止了英国学生按时上学”错误。 b in modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity. others say that competition is bad; that it sets one person against another; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people. i have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied (依赖)on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. for them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. in their single-minded pursuit (追求)of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten. however, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. in a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition. among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. teaching these young people, i often observe in them a desire to fail. they seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. by not trying, they always have an excuse: “i may have lost, but it doesnt matter because i really didnt try.” what is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot. such a loss would be a measure of their worth. clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves. both are based on the mistaken belief that ones self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. both are afraid of not being valued. only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve (缓解) can we discover a new meaning in competition.1. what does this passage mainly talk about? a. competition helps to set up self-respect. b. opinions about competition are different among people. c. competition is harmful to personal quality development. d. failures are necessary experiences in competition. 答案解析：答案为b。本题考查文章的大意。文章第一段列举两种对待竞争的不同的观点，有人支持，有人反对；后面两段分别对两种观点进行阐述，因此本文的大意就是不同的人对待竞争有不同的观点，故答案为b。2. why do some people favor competition according to the passage? a. it pushes society forward. b. it builds up a sense of duty. c. it improves personal abilities. d.it encourages individual efforts. 答案解析：答案为a。本题为细节题。由第一段 “some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity.”可知，有些人对竞争的评价很高，认为是它促进了社会的进步和繁荣，故答案为a。3. the underlined phrase “the most vocal” in paragraph 3 means _. a. those who try their best to win b. those who value competition most highly c. those who are against competition most strongly d. those who rely on others most for success 答案解析：答案为c。本题为词义猜测题。由划线部分的前文 “however, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. in a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition.” 可知，一些人似乎在成功的欲望里迷失了自己，然而另外一些人的态度相反，他们强烈谴责竞争，因此 “the most vocal”指代的是那些反对竞争的人，故答案为c。4what is the similar belief of the true competitors and those with a “desire to fail”? a. ones worth lies in his performance compared with others. b. ones success in competition needs great efforts. c. ones achievement is determined by his particular skills. d. ones success is based on how hard he has tried.答案解析：答案为a。本题为细节题。由最后一段 “clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves. both are based on the mistaken belief that ones self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others.”可知，反对竞争的人也就是“渴望失败的人”和真正的竞争者都有着错误的想法：个人的自尊依赖于与别人比较时候的表现如何，故答案为a。5. which point of view may the author agree to? a. every effort should be paid back. b. competition should be encouraged. c. winning should be a life-and-death matter. d. fear of failure should be removed in competition.答案解析：答案为d。本题考查作者的观点。由最后一段最后一句话 “only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve can we discover a new meaning in competition.”可知，只有失败的恐惧感得到缓解我们才能发现竞争的新的意义之所在，故答案为d“竞争中应该消除对失败的恐惧”。 laura edmonds has a look of horror on her face as she turns to look out the airplane window. it s not the threat of terrorism that worries her，but rather the possibility of mechanical failure. she says she imagines the plane plunging to the ground because the engines may fall off. so every few minutes she glances out the window to make sure they re still attached. it is a fear that has gripped her for 18 years, since her wedding day. since then she has tried drugs and cocktails to make it through flights. but, she says they ve been no help in easing her anxiety. she has dragged her family on the train from connecticut to florida, insisted on long drives and tried to avoid flying at all costs. even when friends fly, edmonds says she worries, counting the hours till they arrive at their destination. it s been three years since edmonds has stepped on a plane. yet here she is now, 20,000 feet above the ground onboard a turbo-prop thats a route from new york, laguardia airport to baltimore-washington international airport in maryland. she is hoping this is the flight that will overcome her fear. “i feel the seat. i feel the seat against my arm. i feel my hands，” recites edmonds, her eyes still closed. she is attempting to change her mind, one of several so-called “ strengthening exercises she recently learned from a video course designed to overcome fear of flying. the idea is to focus on the moment, rather than the abstract. former pan am and united pilot tom bunn is president of the company that produced the videos and that instructs passengers in the basic mechanics of flying and teaches them to control their thoughts. before boarding the u. s. airways flight, edmonds presents a letter from bunn to the flight attendant asking to speak with the captain. the pilot gladly obliges, telling her he s been flying for more than two decades and assuring her，you re going to be fine. we re going to take good care of you. when the flight attendant offers drinks, edmonds places her cup of water on the tray table and studies it, tangible evidence that the plane is barely shaking. “ ladies and gentlemen, we are approaching baltimore，” announces the flight attendant. edmond is relying heavily on bunn s coping strategies during the 90-minute flight. but she s coping. as the wheels touch down, edmonds face lights up. 1. laura edmonds has a fear of flying because_.a. she once experienced a mechanical failureb. a mechanical failure often appears in her mindc. she is good at imagining a terrible situationd. air crashes often happen in her hometown答案解析：答案为b。本题为细节题。由第二段 “it s not the threat of terrorism that worries her，but rather the possibility of mechanical failure. she says she imagines the plane plunging to the ground because the engines may fall off.” 可知，laura edmonds害怕乘飞机是因为她总是担心机器出故障，故答案为b。 2. the underlined word grip in the third paragraph means_.a. seized firmlyb. hurt seriouslyc. cheated simplyd. treated carefully答案解析：答案为a。本题为词义猜测题。由第三段 “it is a fear that has gripped her for 18 years, since her wedding day. since then she has tried drugs and cocktails to make it through flights. but, she says they ve been no help in easing her anxiety.” 可知，自从她结婚后，坐飞机的时候就喝药和鸡尾酒，但是这些对于缓解她的焦虑感没有作用，可以推断，18年以来，恐惧总是缠绕着她，因此“grip”的意思是“seized firmly”意为“紧紧抓住”。故答案为a。3. from this passage it can be inferred that_.a. every seat in planes is equipped with videob. passengers on board always feel nervousc. nervous passengers can get comfort from airlinesd. travel by train is safer than travel by plane答案解析：答案为c。本题为推理题。第八、九段写到美国飞行员tom bunn生产了帮助乘客克服飞行恐惧的光碟，教乘客如何控制恐惧思想，第十段中 “the pilot gladly obliges, telling her he s been flying for more than two decades and assuring her，you re going to be fine. we re going to take good care of you.” 乘务员温馨的话语体现了他们对心理紧张的乘客的安慰，故c选项符合题意。 a、b选项未提。由第四段 “she has dragged her family on the train from connecticut to florida, insisted on long drives and tried to avoid flying at all costs.”可知，laura edmonds拽着家人乘坐火车，而不乘坐飞机是因为她内心害怕坐飞机， 无法推断出火车比飞机更安全的结论，故d选项错误。 4. laurn s overcoming the fear of flying is mostly owed to_.a. airline s comfortb. her counting the hours on boardc. a letter from bunnd. her defeating herself答案解析：答案为d。本题为推理题。由最后两段可知，laurn在90分钟的飞行中依靠tom bunn生产的光碟，模仿光碟中教乘客克服恐惧的策略，文中用了 “but she s coping.”，作者认为她只是在模仿，真正克服飞行恐惧的是她依靠自己的意志力打败了自己，故答案为d。bthe terrafugia, a small airplane that can drive on roads and has been billed as the first “ flying car,”is now one step closer to becoming street-and-sky-legal. the vehicle has cleared a federal aviation administration (faa)(联邦航空管理委员会）regulation for craft classification (分类）by weight. a well-designed production model might be just around the corner, according to multiple reports.at issue was mass-based company terrafugia wanting its 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